The present invention relates in general to motor vehicle repair and servicing systems, and in particular to a multi-level motor vehicle repair system that can be shipped as components and assembled on site without major building modification. The system includes integration of a parts storage and a parts delivery method to the work area so that parts storage is no longer a remote and separate function.
There is an increasing need for more efficient use of manpower and building area due to economic pressure to reduce operating costs of motor vehicle repair facilities. Economies gained by combining work operations at the vehicle repair lift and work bay have been documented by the development of other multi-level service applications which require building modification to accomplish a complete and proper installation. For example, some servicing systems require a full-depth pit, 6 or 7 feet in depth, within which the service worker stands to change oil, lubricate the automobile or perform other services at the underside of the vehicle. Others require half-depth pits which are used in conjunction with a ramp and lift system which elevate the vehicle an amount sufficient to allow work on the vehicle from in the pit.
As examples of previous vehicle servicing systems, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,054,580, 5,033,489, 4,724,875, 4,618,029, 4,284,173, 4,188,985, 3,942,297, 3,756,419, 3,599,382, 3,552,521, 2,898,641, 2,009,384, 1,722,818, 1,357,022, 835,059.
Other examples of automotive servicing systems, permitting a worker to service the vehicle from below and from other positions, include a metal framework designed to be positioned in a basement, below a vehicle-supporting floor, produced by Unilube Systems, Ltd. of Arlington, Tex.; and a half-pit vehicle lift servicing system marketed under the name Autop by Stammhaus Franz Hornstein GmbH and Co. Kg of Heilbronn, Germany.
Prior vehicle servicing apparatus and systems have not provided a conveniently used three-level or four-level servicing facility which is on-site erected from individual transported components into a facility which is placed on a floor, not requiring a basement or pit, with the vehicle or vehicles supported on an upper level which is a part of the erected structure. The prior art also failed to provide for convenient location of parts and servicing equipment at a lowermost level at which a number of service personnel are located and can get convenient access to the parts and equipment.